La Jolla Playhouse will produce the world premiere of “3 Summers of Lincoln.” Tony Award winner and La Jolla artistic director Christopher Ashley will helm the new musical, which will run from Feb. 18 through March 23, 2025, at the Playhouse’s Mandell Weiss Theatre. Jon Rua and Tony nominee Daniel J. Watts will serve as the musical’s co-choreographers. Headlining the production will be Tony winner Brian Stokes Mitchell as Abraham Lincoln.
Featuring a book by Tony winner Joe DiPietro, music by Crystal Monee Hall and lyrics by Watts and DiPietro, “3 Summers of Lincoln” dramatizes the real-life meetings of abolitionist Frederick Douglas and President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and the subsequent impact on the history of America. The score will fuse gospel, R&B and traditional Broadway styles.
Joining Mitchell in the cast will be Eric Anderson as George B. McClellan, Tony nominee Carmen Cusack as Mary Todd Lincoln and Quentin Earl Darrington as Frederick Douglass.
“What an honor to have this incredible group of actors on board to embody their four riveting characters in ‘3 Summers of Lincoln,’” said Ashley in a statement. “Each one brings boundless talent and keen insight to the project, and I am so looking forward to collaborating with them on this bold new work that spotlights a history-changing friendship through a singular lens and soaring original music.”
Mitchell is a four-time Tony nominee, taking home the trophy for his leading turn in the 1999 revival of “Kiss Me, Kate.” He was additionally honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in 2016, acknowledging his longtime efforts with the Entertainment Community Fund, for which he served as chair of the board.
Anderson made his Broadway debut as a replacement in the 2008 revival of “South Pacific,” and has subsequently appeared in “Kinky Boots,” “Moulin Rouge!” and “Pretty Woman.” He currently plays Meyer Wolfsheim in the Main Stem adaptation of “The Great Gatsby.”
Cusack is a two-time Tony nominee, for 2016’s “Bright Star” and 2021’s “Flying Over Sunset.” She played Elphaba in the national tour and Chicago sit-down production of “Wicked.”
Darrington has appeared on Broadway in “MJ,” as well as revivals of “Ragtime” (taking on the role played in the original production by Mitchell), “Cats” and “Once on This Island.”
Ashley has received four Tony nominations for direction, winning for helming 2017’s “Come From Away.”
DiPietro won Tonys for penning the book and lyrics for 2009’s “Memphis,” which also had its world premiere at the Playhouse.
Both Hall and Watts have Broadway performance credits. Hall appeared in both “Rent” and Kristin Chenoweth’s Main Stem concert “For the Girls,” while Watts received a Tony nomination for his featured turn in “Tina.”
Rua performed on Broadway in “In the Heights” and “Hamilton,” and provided choreography for select songs in “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “The Cher Show.”
Additional casting and creative team members will be announced for “3 Summers of Lincoln.”
